Survival Games
by Team Dragon Star
Summary: On the streets of Agrabah, those who struggle to survive in the back alleys there are several easy ways to make a quick bit of coin. For the street rat Aladdin though, there are different methods to survive.


**Disclaimer: TDS does not own Aladdin.**

**...**

For a young teen prowling the streets, these were dangerous times. In an instant your life could be at stake if you didn't know how to play the game. The concept of the game was pretty easy to understand though, survive to win. Riches, glory, those were for the people who looked down upon the filth that walked the street. They had no interest in the going on of the average citizen and barely sent a second glance their way, which was why they were the perfect target for Aladdin to steal from.

Armed with only his hands and his faithful friend Abu, the duo blended into the crowd walking casually as to avoid suspicion from anybody who could be a threat. Passing a fishmonger, Aladdin gave a quick glance to the raw specimen on the table and pondered on how quickly you'd have to cook the product before it went rotten from the barren sunlight, provided they weren't already filled with disease.

Shaking his head, he focused forward once more towards the man on camelback, two sacks filled with what he hoped were riches hanging on either side of his saddle. Yet these were things that would make a lot of noise and be obvious to the eye when he tried to make his escape, the target objective would have to be a lot smaller. Aladdin knew what he was after, and he knew it would be a worthwhile target.

"Go for it Abu," he said whispering to the monkey, the small primate knowing the plan back to front as he jumped to the ground before sprinting through the feet of citizens on all four paws.

The simian moved across the hot desert floor with ease, nobody noticed him as he made his way into the clearing close to where the valiant steed and its luggage were. Climbing up the front leg of the horse was not the easiest of tasks for the small monkey but it was adrenaline filled which in turn pushed the thought of hunger to the back of his mind. As Abu gripped onto the small hair that covered the chest of the horse, only then was it that the steed seemed to notice something amiss as small paws climbed closer and closer to its head before a single finger was inserted into its nose.

The horse reared back on its hind legs from such a violation, the wealthy man riding upon the animal struggling to reclaim control as Abu was flung off to the side. Thankfully for the wealthy businessman, he was saved as a chivalrous young man charged in from the side while citizens screamed in fear for their wellbeing. With strong hands he gripped the strap connected with the horse's bridle and struggled against the beast's jerking motions. A young woman off to the side yelled in fear for the teenager's well being as he was nearly tossed to the side and trampled, yet the dirt covered lad managed to keep his feet in the dire situation.

After what seemed an eternity, the horse came to a standstill as the teen gently stroked the animal's cheek, whispering comforting words as the businessman held his heart, the rapid pace of the organ only beginning to drop. "Thank you boy," he said as he straightened himself, making sure not to lose face in front of the crowd.

"Glad to be of service," said Aladdin with a small bow as he started to back away, trying to merge with the crowd once more.

"A moment of your time if you will," said the businessman, beckoning Aladdin to return to his side. Swallowing nervously, Aladdin stepped forward as he looked off to the side to see that members of the Royal Guard were watching the charade with a close eye. After all, this businessman had travelled across the desert with wares for the Palace; undoubtedly he would be heavily guarded even though none of them had seemingly been keen to help him in his previous time of need. Adjusting his purple vest slightly, Aladdin needed to make sure that the small brown pouch he had stolen when he had run past to grab the horse's reins was not seen. "I'm not a man who believes a good deed should go unpunished, let me give you a few silver coins for your effort, as a token of my gratitude."

Aladdin's eyes went wide as he feared that the businessman would reach towards his coin purse to find it missing, but he kept his composure as the man reached over to the other side of his person and pulled three silver coins from a small leather pouch. "Thank you for helping me," said the businessman as he dropped the coins into Aladdin's hand.

"Thank you kind sir," said the street rat with a bow before turning around and merging into the crowd, slinking towards the back alleys as the horseback rider carried on once more towards his destination. Out of the eyes of the public, Aladdin looked at the coins in his hand, enough to feed him for the next couple of days generously but if he spent it wisely and only bits at a time he could easily stretch it out to a week. Yet that raised the question as to what he had managed to take beforehand.

The sounds of Abu were comforting as the small simian rounded the corner, thankfully unhurt for his efforts. "Let's see what we got here," said Aladdin as he pulled out the small pouch he had taken during the distraction. He gently tugged at the small rope that tied the top of the bag and revealed the contents insides. A small look of confusion crossed Aladdin's face as he reached inside and pulled out a small nut of some variety, nothing that he had seen before. Lifting it to his mouth, he cautiously took a small bite out of the food source and thankfully found the flavour bland yet acceptable. Picking out another nut he handed it to Abu, the monkey gladly taking no time at all to devour the first bit of food he had had over the past few days.

Aladdin continued to slowly feast away at the small bits of food, annoyed at himself for grabbing the businessman's snacks as opposed to his money. Yet at the same time he was relieved as everything could have gone horribly wrong had the businessman reached for his money to find it missing. "C'mon Abu, let's go home," said Aladdin as the simian crawled up his body to sit upon the teen's shoulder, both of them knowing that tomorrow would be another day in this game of survival.

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**This chapter was brought to you by Razamataz22... hope you enjoyed.**


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